Not all is free on July 4

Despite Fourth of July being a holiday that celebrates freedom, Cindy Blackman feels somewhat trapped.

Not because she has a particular problem with her country, but because she has nowhere to go when Newport Beach shuts down her street for the Fourth.

“We get stuck inside,” said Blackman, a River Avenue resident. “We can’t leave or come in.”

In order to curb excessive partying and people filling the Balboa Peninsula during the holiday, the city has been shutting down eastbound Balboa Boulevard at West Coast Highway for nearly a decade, calling it a safety enforcement zone, Newport Beach Police Sgt. Evan Sailor said.

Unlike what Blackman said, residents are actually permitted to leave the area, because westbound traffic is allowed, but they can’t return to the area until barricades are lifted.

“This really has reduced the number of events that hamper us doing our job,” Sailor said. “Some of these parties in the area were really getting out of control. We are not getting the crowds we would in the area now.”

Sailor said residents would be allowed to reenter their community in the event of an emergency, but the department gives plenty of notice about the closures to ensure residents can make alternative plans prior to the day, if necessary.

The closure begins at 12:01 p.m. Friday and is lifted at 3 a.m. Saturday. During that time fines are triple the normal amount and can be as high as $1,000.

The closures allow police vehicles to patrol the area better and prevent party-hopping because pedestrians aren’t allowed to walk through barricades or fencing located every couple of blocks on Seashore Drive, Sailor said.

Instead, those people must walk around, and the crowds tend to dissipate when that happens, Sailor said.

“It is certainly a controversial thing that we do, but it works,” Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said. “When you combine free traffic with pedestrians and cyclists, it is just a zoo.”

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at [email protected].